How to buy a home in Dubai, step by step
From setting your budget to collecting the title deed: every stage of buying a ready home, what you sign and what you pay.
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Buying guides
Plain answers to the questions buyers ask about Dubai property, with every figure checked against the Dubai Land Department, the Central Bank of the UAE and the other sources named in each guide.
Buying
Buying property in Dubai from abroad
How non-residents buy without living in the UAE: identification, powers of attorney, paying, borrowing, and the visas property can bring.
Read the guideBuying a resale property in Dubai
How a secondary market purchase of a ready home works, from agreeing the price to collecting the keys: the paperwork, the cheques, the fees and the time it takes.
Read the guideChecks before buying a ready property in Dubai
A due diligence checklist for a resale apartment or villa: what to verify, where to verify it, and the warning signs that should stop you.
Read the guideCosts and mortgages
What it costs to buy property in Dubai
Every fee on a ready home, an off-plan home and a mortgage, with the government figures checked against the Dubai Land Department.
Read the guideHow mortgages work in Dubai
How much a bank can lend you, the deposit you need, the fees, and the limits set by the Central Bank of the UAE.
Read the guideMortgages for off-plan property in Dubai
How much a bank can lend on a home that is not yet built, when it will start, and how buyers finance the payment at handover.
Read the guideOff-plan
Buying off-plan in Dubai
How payment plans work, where your money is held, what you register with the Dubai Land Department, and what to check before you reserve.
Read the guideOff-plan or ready: how to choose in Dubai
How the two compare on payments, fees, mortgages, protection and moving in, using the rules that apply to each.
Read the guideHandover and snagging in Dubai
What happens when an off-plan home is completed: the completion certificate, your title deed, inspecting for defects, and how long the developer must put things right.
Read the guideHow much do you need to buy off-plan in Dubai?
The cash to reserve, what common budgets reach on each payment plan, and how to plan for the instalments that follow.
Read the guideOff-plan payment plans in Dubai, explained
What 80/20, 60/40 and post-handover mean, what triggers each instalment, and how to compare plans on the cash you need and when.
Read the guideIs off-plan a good investment in Dubai?
What works in its favour, what works against it, what the last year of sales shows, and who it suits.
Read the guideSelling off-plan before handover in Dubai
When a developer lets you resell, what it charges, the Dubai Land Department's fee, and what to ask before you buy with a resale in mind.
Read the guideHow to check an off-plan project in Dubai
Seven checks before you reserve, in the order to make them: where to find each answer, and what the law says if something goes wrong.
Read the guideOwning and letting
Service charges in Dubai
What owners pay each year for their building or community, who approves the amount, how to look it up before you buy, and what happens if it goes unpaid.
Read the guideRenting out your Dubai property
Registering a tenancy, how far rent can rise, the notice each side must give, holiday home permits and tax, from the laws that apply.
Read the guideBuying a tenanted property in Dubai
What happens to the lease when you buy a home with a tenant in it, when you can take it back, and what to settle with the seller before you sign Form F.
Read the guideResidency
The Golden Visa through property
Who qualifies through property in Dubai, how mortgaged and jointly owned homes count, and what to confirm before you buy with the visa in mind.
Read the guideReference and calculators
Dubai property buying facts
Every fee, mortgage limit, ownership rule and Golden Visa threshold on one page, each with its source.
See the factsDubai property glossary
Oqood, Ejari, Form F, NOC, Trakheesi, Mollak and the other terms you will meet, in plain English.
Look up a termBuying costs calculator
Every fee on a ready or off-plan home, with or without a mortgage, for any price.
Work out your costsMortgage calculator
Your monthly repayment, the deposit you need under the Central Bank's limits, and the income a loan requires.
Estimate your repaymentsDubai property prices by area
Median price per sq ft and sales, quarter by quarter, for each area we cover, from the Dubai Land Department's open transaction data.
See the prices